Of Shadows and Roses
by YamiYoukai
Summary: Alice is finally out, but it doesn't mean her problems are over... Much less when an impossible love is added, after all, what if one loves a shadowed illusion? CxA
1. Chapter 1

Hello everybody! This is my first fanfic, so don't expect much… Constructive criticism is appreciated, flames, however, will be used to warm my house since it's pretty cold in winter.

I warn, this is a Cheshire-Alice fic….

Oh! And I almost forgot: If I owned Alice, do you think I'd be writing a fic?

Introduction

A young woman walks lonely down the street, with the sunset's light illuminating her beautiful features; large emerald eyes, straight reddish-brown hair, full red lips in a light skinned face and a curvaceous body that her ample blue dress couldn't quite hide. In a hand she holds a brown suitcase and a book, on the other a cat who purrs contentedly in her hold. A light smile pulls at her lips as her eyes shine with unbridled glee…. She is at last free.

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Alice got down from the carriage that had taken her to a nice small house in the outskirts of the city. At another time, it would have been painful to be back here, this was, after all, the same spot where her parents had died brutally, slaughtered by the fierce fire that burned away her former home and sanity; their screams had tortured her for years in the silence of her room at Rutledge's, but she was ready now; the guilt was no more.

Alice couldn't help but drink in the sight of her new home. This was no longer the house of the accident- since it was gone in a whirl of ash and smoke it had been rebuilt- but it was fine with her. All that mattered was that she was free to make a normal life and Alice thought she was lucky to get a home so easily.

A soft "meow" yanked her off her cloud and back to the world. With a soft pet to the cat, the green-eyed female entered the house and left the animal softly on the ground. As she began exploring, Alice couldn't help but notice the cat's eyes constantly on her back.

'The house must have been burnt worse than I thought', not even the rooms remained in their original structure; the upper floor now held a corridor, the doors on its sides led to 3 rooms and a bath, while the end of the same held the main room. It was in this luxurious room that Alice finally dropped her suitcase and turned to regard the feline, who now laid comfortably in the Victorian style, King-size bed. Green met amber as their gazes clashed and Alice felt her knees go weak…

There imposed in a transparent image another set of golden eyes watched her with a feral grin and mangy frame.

A single name escaped her lips: "Cheshire…"

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Alice leaned heavily on the kitchen counter, her breathing was labored and her hands shaking. She always knew she'd miss Wonderland, but never suspected it would be that much. 'Am I loosing it… again?' she began panicking, 'Could it be that I'll be dragged back to Rutledge?'

A sound came from her right and Alice found herself slashing with an imaginary knife at an unseen enemy that wasn't even there, it was just a plastic vase that had fallen off the counter.

The woman shook her head as she realized exactly what she had been doing; she had tried to slash at a card guard with the vorpal blade

Well, what do you think, should I keep going?


	2. Chapter 2

I'm baaack! Sorry for the delay, but good news come with his chappie. I've finally set where will this story head to, so writing should be easier and vacations certainly will do wonders for the time spent here, any ideas, however, are welcome. I want also to deeply thank my reviewers, they really made my mind about keeping this up!

Disclaimer: The truth hurts, but I don't own Alice TT

Review please? puppy eyes

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Chapter 2- Missing you

After the "vorpal incident" Alice all but ran back to her room, her wild eyes showed close to hysteria and very much scared; she might have confronted a centipede over four times her own size, man-eating mushrooms, rogue chess pieces, card guards that regarded everything as victims and other such menaces and vermin, but she had had nothing to lose back then…

She sat on her large bed, trembling like a leaf on the harsh winter, her cat was nowhere to be seen. 'Am I in the descent into darkness? Does this mean I will fall prey to madness once more, a prisoner of my own psyque?' she refused to be taken once more to Rutledge, not when she was at last free!

Little did Alice know, she wasn't the only one feeling blue as a lonely crystalline tear slid down her face and splashed on the uncaring floor.

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He walked through lush greenery, the blue sky and birds could be seen above and a fresh breeze ruffled his short hair, but all the beauty seemed to be lost on Cheshire as not even the sound of his own steps could distract him from the despairing thoughts running endlessly through his mind; although perhaps the fact that his amazingly large paws made absolutely no sound could be helping.

His fierce eyes stared fixedly at the road ahead as the trademark smile was nowhere to be seen and, noticing this, everyone scattered away from the feline's path. They knew better than to get on his bad side, particularly when he was like this, although he wasn't a fighter and usually preferred to disappear, the cat was a force to be reckoned. Cheshire was a friend but this well-known fact didn't make him any less dangerous, and the other creatures weren't about to risk it.

Reaching the lake of tears, Cheshire jumped and landed on a high branch of a rather large and lush tree that now grew directly in front of Alice's smiling statue. The sound of the flowing water calmed his abused nerves, and his tail tip's movements clearly showed it; then, a very rare thing happened, Cheshire gave a soft smile, not the usual grin, but a sincere smile. For a moment, he stopped depressing and just admired _her, _the cat's eyes roamed her figure, with her petit frame, delicate hands and sharp features his min's eye completed the image from sheer memory; he could see her reddish hair flowing in the warm breeze, the straight stands silk to the touch, her cherry lips forming a feminine smile, and her eyes… 'Oh, those eyes!' sparkling as they caught every golden ray of the sun and perfectly reflecting her every emotion.

Cheshire had seen them wallow in despair, cry out in pure, heart-wrenching grief, flash dangerously with her fury and his personal favorite, the one her face seemed to be showing now, the unearthly glow of serene happiness on those large orbs he knew to be a deep emerald.

With a deep sigh, Cheshire once more schooled his features into the usual menacing smirk and shook his head to be rid of the last tints of melancholy in his eyes even when he knew very well that he couldn't shake it from his heart. The feline leapt back to solid ground and began walking to wherever it was that the wind took him… it was that very same wind that took his last thought with a lost glance to the statue.

'My creator, my Alice; I can't and won't drag you back here, but… I miss you so….'


	3. Chapter 3

Jeje, here comes the third part. I know it's slow, but the plot requires it so please bear with me. I also know I said the updates would be faster, but I didn't count on the fact that I'd be working this vacations… to top it all my notes for this story are lost, so I'll have to work without much reference for now. Enough rambling, enjoy!

Disclaimer: We all know fate is cruel, so I guess it's not rare that I don't own anything, except for the computer from which I write this madness.

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CHAPTER III: HERE HOPE ROAMS

Alice didn't get much sleep that night, she laid in her bed, restless, when she did manage to find the rest so direly needed, nightmares plagued her so dawn found her flat in her back… and wide awake. With a resigned sigh the red-headed rose and began her ritualistic morning routine of bathing, dressing, combing and breakfast only to find a surprise downstairs: there seemed to be no food left at all.

Her furry companion meowed inquisitively when it found her just standing in front of the empty fridge, silent and unmoving. "Looks like we'll have to go shopping today, dear… Out and into the lion's cave" she finished in a whisper.

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'Damn! How much can a city change in a couple of years?'

Luckily for alice, her parents had taught her how to navigate the streets safely before their demise, but it had been so long since her last stroll amongst pavement that the masses of people absolutely took her by surprise.

Saying she was still uneasy about crowded areas would be a gross understatement, and the young woman walked stiffly and in a hurry, her loyal cat right beside her the whole time. By the time she arrived at the store Alice already felt she had had enough outing, but since the place was almost empty she visibly relaxed and began choosing her groceries without much of a hurry.

Around 20 minutes later Alice had already shopped all she would be needing for the next week or so, but Alas! In her haste to postpone her next outing she didn't consider that she had no car and would have to carry the bags home. By the time the green-eyed female realized her mistake it was too late, and she gave a soft growl of frustration even as she tried to figure a way out her situation.

'The bags aren't precisely heavy, but they are many; I could carry some to the house and return for the rest, but independently from the fact that I don't relish the idea, by the time I'm back it's possible someone has already stolen my goods…'

"Need any help, miss?"

Startled out of her reverie, Alice looked up towards the owner of the voice and was met with a beautiful pair of sapphires. She blinked a couple of times and began taking notice of the rest of the young man filling her vision. He was tall, at least a good head and a half taller than herself, with broad shoulders and a thin but strong frame. His face had refined features, pale skin, though not as much as her own, and a stong jaw; but what called more to her were his eyes, of the deepest blue she had ever seen and framed by golden bangs.

"Well… I only… no, what I mean is… Yes I do need some help, if you would" she finished with a long-suffering sigh. She was way too unused to socializing, she suddenly realized, gauging her reaction and feeling like hitting herself, then again, not that anyone could blame her for being distrustful.

The newcomer simply smiled kindly at her and bent to pick the mayority of the bags. Suddenly shy and feeling self-conscious, Alice hurried to grab the only two left, at which he extended a hand to the side and inclined his head in a clear 'After you' gesture. Alice only felt her face heat-up in a must unbecoming manner and wordlessly took the lead, trusting him to keep up with her brisk pace.

The female kept her gaze glued to the pavement at her feet and actually went through the right road only due to inertia, so by the time she did raise her eyes to the scenery around her she was startled to find they had almost arrived. Puzzled at the sudden shortness of the journey she stopped right in front of her sky-blue home and finally faced her unexpected savior, who was currently admiring the fairly large house.

"Is this it?"

"Yes… thank you for you help" an awkward silence ensued until Alice remembered her manners and spoke again "Would you like some tea?"

"Sure, if it isn't too much of a bother.. I'm Charles, by the way" He commented and extended a large hand towards her.

She took it. "Alice. Nice to meet you, come in" and with that she lead the way.

Once inside, the young female invited him to take a seat and then busied herself with the tea as Charles sat comfortably in the living, unfortunately for Alice, however, the tea didn't take too much time, and eventually the girl couldn't keep stalling ant more to delay her encounter with the blonde.

'How did I get myself into this? Quite a fine mess I've managed to work in less than five minutes, I guess I should be proud…' she spied on her visitor. 'Damn manners and their rules, if not for them I'd be perfectly alone, just like it should be instead of forced to face another person _again. _Wasn't the city enough for one day?' Shaking her head lightly, she emerged from the kitchen.

Charles looked up just in time to see her almost there already and was somewhat surprised that he hadn't heard her come, he prided on his good senses, specially his hearing. Pushing the thought away he took his tea and began sipping it in silence before trying to make some talk with the woman next to him.

"So… I had never seen you around, did you recently move here?"

When Alice answered, her voice was level, but her eyes had taken a hard edge and a shadow seemed to pass in the emerald depts., making him both wonder what her past was and understand that theme wasn't to be touched again.

"I used to live here long ago, but left and have only recently returned."

Alice, on her side, had stiffened unperceivably and felt that old fear rear its ugly head. 'What if he begins asking about my past?' Those were the kind of questions she wasn't ready to answer yet, not with her haunted past still so raw. She noticed that Charles thought about it, his blue eyes clouding over for an instant before, much to her surprise and relief, he let it drop. He simply turned the conversation to more trivial and impersonal matters, such as the house, the weather and her incident at the store. After around an hour, he had finished his tea and kindly gave the cup back before saying a light goodbye and something about not wanting to take any more of her time, Alice could see perfectly that it was a lie, but chose to say nothing about it, although she didn't see him as a bother anymore she still threaded carefully around others, and both somehow knew that more time would be, at least for now, stressing for her.

Alice, still in her hostess paper, waved him farewell at the doorstep before returning to her solitude, but something was different, her step felt lighter, as well as her soul, and her heart felt less troubled… Perhaps she still had hope for normalcy, after all.

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So, what did you think? Thanks to my reviewers, you really helped remind me to keep it up!

…: Did you know you were my first reviewer? hands brownie

Anita-chan: your wish is my command bows

Shadow Seeker: jeje! I also tend to scold for short chappies, but inspiration has the terrible tendency to come and go as she pleases sigh. I'm very glad you liked my alice, she is quite an interesting and multifacetical character! She can be strong, sarcastical, scarred or broken and still be in character... and I'm a CxA fan too!

Ancamna: the only reviewer for ch. 2, but you reminded me accurately of how long had it been since the last update… actually that's what reviews do to me, they remind me to keep writing! munchs cookie happily and waves with a face full of chocolate crumbles


	4. Chapter 4

Chappie 4 at last, I'm sorry this will back-track a little but the plot bunnies attacked, and well… what a poor authoress to do?

Lady Nightmare: I suppose it's time for you to continue reading…

Disclaimer: If I owned Alice there would be more games about her adventures!

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CHAPTER IV: OF WISHES COME TRUE

Some time after his visit to the Pool of Tears Cheshire found himself thinking about Alice yet again, so he chose to prowl Wonderland as night fell. Although the world looked peaceful now, and after the red-queen's death Wonderland was safe once more most of Wonderland's inhabitants were diurnal, and thus the night was almost all for himself. The feline paced calmly through the lush greenery, the full moon and stars lending enough light for him to see clearly in the darkness as he stalked the silent meadows; it wasn't long before he reached a small hill and sat to contemplate.

He was still thinking about the same person, he worried a lot for Alice's wellbeing. 'How is she coping in her own world? Has she been shunned for her past? Does she even remember her time here, the fights, the gore, the victory… us?'

A movement above his head caught his attention, effectively cutting his musings short as his amber eyes were glued to the shooting star. The cat thought it childish to make a wish, but he couldn't help remembering most would have thought Cheshire himself a fragment of a tortured child's imagination when he was very much alive and real, so he ended making the wish while the brilliant streak was still visible in the royal blue sky.

"I only wish for her happiness."

Feeling better than he had since Alice's departure, he rose and began the long walk back to his home in a large tree which despite its greenery held a hollow trunk. An agile leap took him to the tall hole in the bark easily, where he only crawled in until a pair of glowing embers and the tip of his tail were the only things indicating his presence. After some much needed rest, however, soft sunlight filtering through the opening unavoidably woke him to a new day.

Climbing into the thick canopy, the cat, faithful to his nature gave a mighty yawn, showing rows of razor-sharp fangs, and stretched largely before climbing some more until he found a branch thick enough to support his full weight comfortably, where he laid with his tail hanging down and its tip twitching slightly and his trademark grin firmly in place to wait for either a lost traveler to cross his path or someone to come seeking his council.

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After a long day of confusing riddles, Cheshire waved off the last visitor with a soft "As knowing where you are going is preferable to being lost, ask…" the last word fading as his body became gradually transparent, a light tingling sensation running through his blood as his mouth, the last part to go, reintegrated to the cat mere instants before it took form once more in a very different location. The feline's grin became even more prominent as he thought of how disappearing before someone's eyes, a **lost someone's eyes**, was so frustrating to them that he never seemed to tire of the joke, he was, after all, a natural prankster.

A knowing ache in his lower abdomen reminded Cheshire that he had to hunt, so he headed to the group of rabbits he knew lived close and to the west. Just as he had predicted it wasn't long before a long pair of ears could be seen, this rodents weren't as developed as the march hare and were barely able to manage a few basic words such as food, danger, cold and fear. Their physique also resembled regular bunnies greatly, except for the fact that every color was allowed… and it truly meant every color: they ranged from the usual white, gray, maroon and black to the bright pink, purple, several shades of green and blue, yellow and orange.

Needless to say, the feline licked his whispers in anticipation as the bright colors bounced around in front of him, the rabbits were no match for his strength and speed, yet large enough to keep him sated for around three days, and so as one careless blue and gray morsel strayed to close to a certain bush Cheshire pounced from behind it and after a short struggle of frantic kicks and growling his dinner was served. He finished rapidly and took to cleaning his paws and snout from the excess blood before leaving the scene, a red-soaked skeleton the only proof of his successful hunt.

After a quick drink, however, and just as night fell, Cheshire began getting the familiar sensation of tingling that accompanied his well-known teletransporting. This caused a rare frown to mar his features 'Weird, I haven't used my magic yet…', but it was true all the same, his paws were almost non existent now even though he kept walking.

As the last trays of the sun kissed Wonderland's horizon the grass glistened with a group of sparkles, the only witness to Cheshire's disappearance.

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After Charle's departure, Alice unpacked her groceries and took 5to cooking a decent meal plus some raw fish for her four-pawed companion currently meowing at her feet, after eating and washing the dished, the female took to checking her house carefully, including the shadowed attic. She discovered a couple of paintings and a beautifully carved trunk, which she moved to the foot of her bed, but otherwise came out empty handed; apart from the equipped bathroom and kitchen the only furniture was a small creamy living, the solid looking table, her bed, vanity and wardrobe. It was enough to live comfortably, but she knew there would be need to buy more things for the house soon.

Choosing to drop that trail of thought, Alice went to her own room and began unpacking what little belongings she had brought and keeping them in their respective places. Once that was done she took a book and began to get lost in the story unfurling before her eyes until she noticed it was getting progressively harder to read the printed letters.

Slightly confused, she turned to the window and noticed with a start that dawn was coming at a fast pace. Rising to eat alight dinner she then found herself coming back upstairs just as the sun disappeared from sight, the nightfall was beautiful and she let out an uncharacteristic sigh of content. Her calm was, however, short-lived, for a strangely familiar sound called her attention and made her turn toward her room's door, being where she thought it came from. She was sure she should know that almost chiming sound, yet Alice couldn't seem to place it at all.

Then, right there, next to the door a shadow with a curved white something appeared, the green eyed froze and tensed visibly as the shape became clearer and she identified the whiteness as a wide grin…

Alice felt her eyes go wide as saucers as everything finally seemed to click, there was only someone she knew that could cause that sound and appear out of thin air with a grin so large it was the first thing you noticed, the only problem here being that this wasn't Wonderland. The grinning shadow, however, didn't seem to share her logic and kept becoming more solid with each passing second. It felt like an eternity for the female, but the process really took around 5 seconds only. Once he felt himself become corporeal once more, the newcomer opened amber orbs.

To say that Alice was shocked would be a gross understatement. He had changed since they last saw each other, his hind quarters called her attention first; though the markings and general shape were the same, they looked much more solid and stronger now, they had doubled in width and the female could easily picture those extremities allowing him enormous leaps, second came that tail moving slightly behind him; it was no longer the short and boney structure she used to know, but a rather large and solid appendage, it had easily doubled both in length and width and no longer showed every bone running through it. The small tuft of hair that used to grow in its end was gone as well, instead the tail seemed to thicken a bit in the last three inches, where it sported a smoky ring followed by the completely black tip.

It was then that the young woman noticed his fur, where before it held a dark, grayish-brown color it was now a clear silver and some lushness had returned to it. All in all, he looked better off.

Despite all the changes, he still kept, in essence, the same: black markings, irregular pierced ears, feral slit pupil eyes, fang-filled grin, enormous paws and mangy frame. He was still a rather large creature, and his sturdy changes certainly didn't make him any less intimidating, after all, Alice had always been glad that he was a friend, she didn't look forward to having to fight that being.

Finally, she seemed to recover somewhat, relaxed her stiff posture and inquired with a confused and soft, but decidedly commanding voice:

"Cheshire, what are you doing here?"

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Well, what did you think? Please don't hang me for changing Ches, but I think that if Wonderland changed so drastically at the Red Queen's demise its inhabitants were bound to reflect that as well. Also I find him quite imposing, with his size, fluid moves and ability to pop out of thin air I was glad not to fight him, I'm pretty sure it would be a nasty experience. ;) Don't forget read & review… it makes chappies come faster


	5. Chapter 5

Here I come again, presenting the fifth part to this madness of mine.

Wreath: I'm glad to find that you're liking the story and what I did to Cheshire (I love him too) .

Ancamna: takes a bite off the muffin Hello there! You're the first one to review two different chappies… I'm so happy to hear you've liked Cheshire's change as well, and even share my point of view :P

Disclaimer: If I owned Alice, the Cheshire Cat would be mine!!!!

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CHAPTER V: FEARS

"Cheshire, what are you doing here?"

The cat himself didn't know the answer to that question, and was just getting over the shock of seeing Alice once more, yet managed to answer to answer without missing a beat. "Why, I'm just visiting you, of course."

At this the female just raised a reddish eyebrow in a clear show of sarcasm at his vague answer, but he wasn't ready to admit his ignorance in the matter just yet.

"Well, I must admit you didn't seem too busy when I appeared. Then again, I never thought I'd need an invitation to come see an old friend."

"Why have you come?" If not for the fact that Cheshire knew they were the only ones in the room, he wouldn't have thought that voice came from the young woman's mouth. The voice was small, vague and sounded hollow even to his ears, gone was all trace of the authority he had seen just a few instants before, not at all a sound he would have expected from the fiery spirit sitting currently in the bed.

"You shouldn't have…" she repeated and, for the first time, the cat actually noticed how fragile Alice seemed. Her emerald green eyes were downcast, her shoulders sagged and her posture lax. It seemed all life, all will to live had deserted her, leaving only a frail, empty shell behind. Cheshire was perplexed, he had seen her cry before, after Rabbit's death actually, but then she had been saddened, dishearted even, not broken and lost like he saw her now… for the first time the feline wondered exactly what was the extent of the damage Rutledge caused.

In a rather strange gesture, Cheshire rose and approached the distraught female before leaping next to her in the bed and placing a large paw over one of the dainty hands in her lap. That seemed to make her break free of her stupor and she finally raised her gaze to meet the feral orbs gazing intently at her.

"I was deemed clinically sane, and thus left Rutledge's. The doctors told me of the condition I was in… including my coma and how I often spoke of the twisted Wonderland, the Duchess, the Red Queen… you, they explained that Wonderland is just a reflection f my psyche, its decay mirrored my own. I had to overcome my guilt, defeat the Red Queen in order to be free from my own mind; according to them I blamed myself for my parents' deaths and that's why the Red Queen's face was my own. Now I'm free, yet you have appeared, seemingly real, in front of me, I can still see you, that means I'm still mad… I can still be locked back there."

"There's nothing to fret about my dear, I don't believe you mad and certainly you're not back in a coma. Then again, eyes that don't see heart that doesn't feel."

Alice just stared off into nothingness, not appearing to have heard him at all. She was, in truth, just contemplating her predicament, Wonderland haunted her again, but the Cat did have a point there, as long as no one knew about him she would keep her freedom and no longer worry about her friends' well-being or happiness since she now had a link to that world.

"You should perhaps remember, Alice, that this is a world of appearances, like in Wonderland, not everything is what it seems. Here, as long as you seem yet another reflection, you'll be safe"

The female remembered that place in the Mad Hatter's domain where most clock-like platforms were fake, and the only way to tell the real ones from the illusions and avoid a painful dip in acid was to look into the mirror beside them.

"Perhaps it is time to be an illusionist then." Cheshire stretched his grin even wider at the words, noticing how a challenge shone deep within her emerald orbs. It looked like he would be staying after all.

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Alice woke early the next morning, yawning and stretching to get her body back in functioning order, she pondered about her previous encounter with her past. 'It could have been a delusion… a very realistic one but a delusion all the same.' Part of her mind adored the logical explanation she found, but another part, a darker one rebelled strongly against the idea. The young woman shook her head to rid herself of the darker side, but in doing so her gaze fell on the opposite side of her enormous bed; it was so large the other side from where she had slept was untouched, and there a pair of noticeable dents in the otherwise immaculate sheets caught her attention. One was where she had been sitting during their long talk, but the other… 'It belongs to my pet!' her reason desperately screamed but her feral side whispered darkly that it was too large and deep, it certainly belonged to a cat, but not to her own, instead it pointed out that said cat had to be nearer to an ocelot's size.

Alice just ended up giving a long sigh. 'If Wonderland was just a fragment of my troubled imagination, how come its creatures leave physical evidences of their presence? Shouldn't it be impossible? Or could it be…? Could all that be… real?'

Her mind wandered of her own back to last night's long talk.

After her initial breakdown and the Cat's solution he had returned his paw to his own side and she found, surprising even herself, that she missed its warmth on her white hand. 'Even now I have to restrain myself from touching that hand repeatedly' she mused with a smile. Her expression turned more somber when she thought about the way how Cheshire had then returned to being his usual self, that uncharacteristically soft and direct side had all but disappeared as if it had never been there, their position, so close to each other, was the only evidence that the moment had actually been there.

They had spent a lot of the time just talking about a restored Wonderland and the feline simply rejoiced in answering in riddles once more, effectively managing to make even the most simple of answers confusing. Alice was sure that, if not for the fact that she was used to it from her time in Wonderland, she would have already skinned Cat. From him she knew that Caterpillar was back, and still smoked like there was no tomorrow 'If he keeps smoking like that perhaps there won't be…' she reasoned with a smirk, the card guards were back to being extremely thin buffoons instead of the vicious murderers she encountered, Rabbit still as hurried as ever, Gryphon owned the skies once more, and, surprising as it might have seemed, the March Hare, Dormouse and Mad Hatter were the best of friends once more. She seemed to recall particularly keenly that part of their conversation.

"_I trust the Hatter has stopped his machinations for good, but what happened to the friendship between those tea-addicts?" _

"_You surely remember how Time and him weren't in good terms, don't you?"_

"_But it was only that for him it was always six o'clock, yet since Time was angry it wouldn't have reversed for him… unless…"_

_Cheshire nodded "You should keep in mind that the Dormouse couldn't even remember a story he was telling."_

"_But does that mean the March Hare can't remember either?"_

"_The last winter seemed to blur his sight. Perhaps forever."_

"_And their half-made changes?"_

"_Cuts, if deep enough, always leave scars."_

"_And the Hatter? Are his memories whole, shattered or gone?"_

"_Intact, but he'll survive."_

That last part was confusing, did it mean he felt guilty? Depressed even? Either way the Cat had always been a wise judge, if he deemed the Mad Hatter would survive the traumatic events then he would eventually learn to forget and forgive himself. 'Like myself.' Shaking the memories aside, she busied herself with getting ready for the day, making breakfast and planning her day. Just as she was getting to the last part she realized that she effectively had nothing to do just yet, the house needed more furniture and some details so it didn't look so bare, and sticking out as odd was the last thing the female wanted, so she would eventually have to go, but it wasn't anything vital or urgent as of now.

Alice heaved a defeated sigh. At least she didn't have to worry about money, her father had had an insurance that protected her mother and herself, if he died or was incapable of working due to injury or sickness, the insurance would cover the funerary and hospital bills and give the monthly money of his salary to them. It was an excellent and rare insurance, but being a high executive had certain advantages, then there was her mother… she had been a stunningly beautiful woman, but she was more than only good looks, she had been a part of the English royalty and though she gave up her title to be with her father the family had given them an obscene quantity of money as a gift for Alice's birth and it was almost complete and saved in the bank.

A rare smile crossed her full lips, even in death, her parents had ensured that she would never need anything. Thanks to their advanced planning she now had a home of her own and enough savings to live her days comfortably without having to work or marry for money, and though they had no way of knowing that she would be locked away for around 10 years, practically destroying her chances at a normal life, they had managed to make her life a thousand times easier. The soft chiming of the doorbell distracted her, but when she went to see who it was the young woman found a letter for her.

Alice regarded the envelope suspiciously, and anyone looking would have been convinced that she was daring it to attack. Truth be told, Alice couldn't have been more surprised, but even as she wondered whether she should open the note or ignore it her curiosity began pricking at the back of her mind. It was a loosing battle, for eventually the female's curiosity took the better of her and she peeled the seal carefully 'Curiosity killed the cat…' yet she didn't seem to mind much.

_Dear Alice;_

_It seems I've forgotten my manners, yesterday you invited me a delicious cup of tea, thus I consider it only right to return the favor…_

_You are cordially invited to a light meal at my home at 2:00, don't worry about directions, a coach will come for you at 1:30. Should you be too busy or unwilling simply tell the rider so, however I really look forward to seeing you again._

_Yours truly,_

_Charles Mitt._

Well, it seemed she did have something to do today after all.

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Well, well… the end at last. I've tried to make the chapters longer despite inspiration's terrible tendencies. Read and Review please? puppy eyes


	6. Chapter 6

Hello there! I must admit, I'm somewhat disheartened: no one reviewed last chapter and I all but lost inspiration. Now, however, the plot began tickling at the back of my mind and, well… perhaps it means I should update... even if no one reads to see.

Disclaimer: Despite my wishes, the characters don't seem inclined to come live with me… might have something to do with the fact that I don't own 'em.

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CHAPTER V: THE JOYS OF LIGHT

With one last glance at the mirror on the mahogany vanity, Alice smoothed her vibrant hair and walked away. Given the fact that she was to be a guest and that the days were quite warm, she chose a white dress of length similar to that of her usual apparel, the fabric was light and amber vines adorned the hem, giving it a more lively look; in all truth, Alice wasn't used to such vibrant colors, even if only in a little decoration, but it'd have to do, after all, she couldn't go around wearing always the same, could she?

Exactly at the appointed hour, the doorbell rang through the house and the female felt all but ready to burst with her anticipation, she seemed full of nervous energy but her composture remained, even if only on the outside so she calmly went to answer the door, greeted the driver, and left with him. Looking out the window during the whole ride, Alice realized, not for the first time that Charles' family must have been very well off to afford such luxuries and once they stopped, the purely white house just confirmed her suspicions. Outwardly, only a wall closing the property could be seen, but once the doors opened, she could see a large garden dominating most, while the house itself laid on the back.

A middle aged man, the butcher, led her to a specific area of the garden, where a small table and a couple of chairs had been set at the foot of a large oak, which provided shadow, and sure enough, there, standing to greet her was the young Charles. He was dressed formally, with dress pants and a light blue shirt which brought his eyes out perfectly. Suddenly self-conscious, Alice went to greet him somewhat shyly, not knowing what to expect, Charles, however, seemed oblivious to it and made her feel at home with a brilliant smile and a gallant attitude. He was attentive, Alice noted, for he pulled her chair out for her, served her everything before she did it herself and other such details; though trivial things, they made the redhead feel sure of herself and more feminine than she had felt in a long time.

Conversation was, once more, about more trivial matters, Charles didn't touch the themes of her past or family and Alice was eternally grateful, though he did tell her who his parents were, that he was single, a couple years older than her and the only child of the rich couple, who were currently traveling through Europe searching for ways to extend business. When the meal was over, he took it upon himself to show her around, the house, other than large, was ancient and tastefully decorated with high ceilings, ample stairways, wooden floors, a large quantity of paintings and other such details that made it as beautiful as it was mysterious. Eventually, Alice saw the time and thought it wise to return home, to which Charles took her personally. As they neared her abode, Alice reflected about the young man next to her in the car, the time spent with him had been great, and she appreciated talking to someone without having to explain her painful past, besides, fear kept her at bay, she feared his reaction should he know she had been to a madhouse as a patient; sometimes, ignorance was bliss and she was too happy being a normal girl to ruin it now.

Upon arrival, Alice said her goodbyes with much more confidence than when she came to him several hours prior, Charles murmured a good night before taking her wrist and slowly taking it to his lips, his deep blue eyes locked with hers the whole time. The female could feel her heart stop as his soft lips came in contact with her pale hand and stayed there more than was normal before he let the appendage go with as much softness as he had taken it before turning and walking calmly back into the car. Poor Alice, however, wasn't so composed and was blushing madly; needless to say, by the time she laid against her closed door, feeling elated and strangely nervous at the same time, she could have made a tomato envious and could have sworn her face glowed in the darkness of the living room. Night had just barely set, but it was enough to plunge her house in darkness, and unbidden, a stray though crossed her treacherous mind: 'Perhaps I will have two felines roaming the house soon.'

She just shrugged, turned some lights on and went in search of her pet, recently named Wonka. The cat that appeared, however, wasn't exactly the one she was looking for.

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Cheshire wasn't roaming when dusk came this time, he had been lounging on a branch and confusing some innocent by-standers. Secretly, the cat hoped this night would once more whisk him away to her, but Alas, night was already upon him and nothing had happened yet. More disheartened than he would ever admit, the grey creature decided he wanted solitude instead of bothering travelers and pulled his disappearing act on them once more. Wanting his inherent magic to give him peace, he willed himself into appearing on the vale of tears, so, imagine his surprise to suddenly find himself under a couch and face to face with the very person he had wanted to see the most.

When she did notice him, Alice was taken with as much surprise as him, so she backed from her crouching position in front of the furniture with as much speed as she could muster, resulting with her rear end sitting on the floor and Cheshire languidly exiting the shadows under said couch. She fixed him with a deadly glare, and Cat couldn't help but think that look was the last thing many of the Queen's minions saw before having their life taken, but he only gave an apologetic look and a shrug to indicate he hadn't planned this as such either. Just as Alice had predicted, Wonca arrived and stared at Cheshire with something akin to distrust, to which the larger feline just raised a non-existent eyebrow and stared back, the female smiled at their antics noticing how much of a strange creature the Cheshire truly was; he evidently understood her pet's territorial behavior, but a normal cat wouldn't raise an eyebrow, it was a testament to the strange balance he represented, a creature of both understanding and instinct, civil yet feral at the same time.

Finally choosing to leave her unraveling of the Cat for another time she rose with as much dignity as she could muster, who would have thought? The same female who had used ropes instead of ladders falling due to an untraceable feline who didn't even intend to make her meet the floor in the first place, truly ironic. Meeting both animals' curious gazes, Alice just stared back before answering an unasked question. "Anyone fancies some milk?"

'Well, this is certainly new….' Alice couldn't help her dry chuckle at the sight meeting her green orbs, Cheshire and Wonka both laid side by side on the kitchen floor, happily lapping up a bowl of milk each. Strange, she had always known he was a cat, but never actually thought about Ches liking milk, so it came as a complete surprise when he accepted her proposal. Unknowingly adding to her mirth, the Cheshire Cat began licking a large paw as soon as he finished with slow and deliberate strokes of his rough tongue, truth be told, he wasn't feeling dirty enough to merit this, but it took his mind off other things, namely the red-head currently so close to himself. Why did he have to be a cat? For the first time, Ches actually wondered what being a human would be like, being able to court her and stay by her side, for though he probably knew her more thoroughly than anyone else, being made from her own psyque, he knew next to nothing about this world where she now resided.

Taking in his suddenly clouded eyes, Alice forgot her stray thoughts and wondered herself, though not for the first time what could be possibly going through his mind. He had said himself all those years back that he was mad like anyone in Wonderland, yet his wisdom was evident and saved her hide more than once. Exactly how much of him was Cat, and how much was… human?

Coming closer to him from behind, she stopped just short of crashing to his sitting form, staring at the oblivious feline as if she was seeing him for the first time, marveling at the strange creature when something soft and warm brushed against her calf, startling her right out of her thoughts. A quick glance downwards found the intruder to be none other than Cheshire's own tail, the twitching tip having somehow feathered against her skin. Alice bit her ruby lips, pondering whether to do what she wanted and risk his anger and possibly offending him, or ignore the itch at the back of her mind and loose her chance. Eventually, however, it was her curiosity that won over.

Cheshire was still lost to the world when he was violently jerked back to reality by a warm touch against his silvery tail's tip, which was moving without him even fully noticing. With his irregular ears perked in obvious interest, he turned to regard the offender only to be met by twin emeralds. He blinked once, twice, and then he felt it again, Alice's small hand has just caressed his moving tail, oblivious or uncaring about the way it seemed to twitch all the more when her hand was over it; growing braver when he didn't snap at her or even stand, the female took her chance and ghosted her hand over his tattooed spine, pleased when it didn't feel as boney as one would think gauging his past weight, or lack thereof. She repeated her action with a little more confidence and almost jumped out of her skin when the soft fur beneath her fingers vibrated, caught unawares, Alice felt a smile of childish glee form as she repeated her caress along his back and the vibrations became strong enough to be heard. It seemed the Cheshire _could_ purr after all.


	7. Chapter 7

Here I am once more. Many thanks to:

K.O.S, KrysOfSorrow who reviewed the last chapter, I thought no one read this anymore! By the way, I do think the Cheshire cat purrs, because the game says so, if you get the list of sounds separated there are sounds of Cheshire's purr, so he must be able to don't you think?

By the way, I chose to rate this M just to be on the safe side, but I'm not sure if it'll live to that, what do you think? Should I plant a lemon tree and make lemonade or stick to a bittersweet romance?

Disclaimer: I don't own them! Goes to cry on a corner

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CHAPTER VI: A PAINED REGRET

Alice just knelt there, petting the Cheshire Cat until her knees decided to let her know she had abused them enough for one day and she was forced to stand, interrupting her warm touch on the cat's fur. Opening amber eyes, he stared at her for some time before making a wry comment.

"Looks like you enjoy this nearly as much as I do"

"Believe me, had I known it to be this much fun I would have petted you senseless long ago"

Cat gave her an incredulous look "So you'd already thought about it?"

Alice at least had the grace to blush and look away, ashamed at being caught red-handed, to what he just snorted and his trademark grin became more pronounced, betraying his amusement at the thought.

"What did I expect? Only a female can think about petting while surrounded by murderous ants."

"You can't blame a girl for wanting to think about more enjoyable tasks while spraying green insect innards around."

"Touché my dear."

Smiling slyly about her victory in their small argument, Alice remembered her times in Wonderland, she had told Cheshire the truth, several times had she been thinking about something else altogether while she killed, specially at the beginning. As time taught her about the Red-Queen's sins she began taking her role of avenging angel much more seriously, enjoying the carnage as she reasoned about the damage caused to the queen's troops, but she still wondered about the cat's fur. Back then he had been painfully thin, his fur was opaque and missing in some places such as his chest, but he was a friend and dear ally, so his fur was one of the best things around along with the gryphon's feathers, that without taking into account the fact that she sometimes needed reassurance that he was still there, that she was not alone in that mad quest, specially after Rabbit's death, when the feeling of being cursed to hurt those around her intensified greatly.

Tears sprung to her eyes as she recalled Cheshire's gruesome murder, though they didn't fall. He had been telling her something important, the missing piece of the jigsaw that was her comatose madness and that she had earned his respect when the Queen pulled the last straw of her sanity. Up to then she had been thinking about giving the queen a chance to surrender before killing her, but after seeing her cut the elusive cat's head, attacking his unprotected back in a shameful way she decided she had had enough. She still had nightmares about it; the way the blood sprayed all over, the cat's head, still grinning, laying in the tiled floor as his body fell as if in slow motion, the large paws loosing their strength as the crimson life-giving liquid oozed from the grievous wound, showing the white bone of the severed spine that ended his life. She had then knelt on the bloody ground, mourning the loss of that who had always been by her side but hadn't dared touch the remains of her dear friend despite the overwhelming wish to cradle his broken body to her chest. She had an appointment with Death.

She looked back at the Cheshire to find him surveying her with a critical eye, the smile all but gone from her visage as even his seemed less pronounced. Then he once more did something unexpected, he stood and walked towards her, then, taking advantage of her motionless hands laying forgotten by her side he lightly touched his head to her palm before continuing his path past her still form and out from the cozy kitchen as though nothing had happened and turning to fix his unmoving creator with an unnervingly deep stare from his predatory eyes, now glowing an eerie green in the half light of the deserted living room. "There is no good in dwelling in a past you cannot change."

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Once more, Cheshire greeted morning with a wide yawn that displayed razor fangs and stretched lazily, as only a cat could manage without dislodging something. He surveyed the area with a critical eye from his vantage point at the top of his tree, sensing nothing out of place… or at least out of place in a world as mad as Wonderland. He still couldn't grasp fully his situation; every night he ended up with Alice, every dawn he watched her fall asleep, beaten by exhaustion and a naturally diurnal nature and every dawn he ended up at sleep's mercy right behind his creator only to wake minutes later back in his home land and feeling refreshed despite the denied hours of rest.

Last night she had actually touched him, he still wondered what in the name of the seven hells could have gotten over her, but he wasn't about to complain; the warmth of her hands on his back felt nice and he could still feel his fur tingle from where her hands has caressed during the night, he was still somewhat put off by her sudden change in demeanor last night, but his sense of smell, always so more tuned to her than to anything else, had alerted him to her distress as her normally sweet scent drowned in a salty tinge. Unluckily for him, mind reading was not amongst his many talents, and though temptation was strong, he situation made it so that he couldn't tell her he gave a penny for her thoughts, so he had to make due with what his nose and previous experience told about her; and then he got his answer, she was remembering dark times long past, the pain and loss she had to endure for her freedom.

The cat hadn't known what to do, so he silently told her he was still by her side and left with an advice as vague yet helpful as he could with his assumptions. It did seem to work for after that she was silent and brooding, but no longer depressed; she had followed him to the couch in the living room and went back to enjoying his fur until sleep claimed her, which he, of course, consented because it seemed therapeutic to her, not because he liked being touched by his creator. Hell yea. He rolled amber eyes at that last thought 'Great! Now I'm even being sarcastic to myself, that's certainly new.'

His tail twitched in spasms behind him, betraying his annoyance at himself and how pathetic he seemed to become whenever Alice was involved, but he decided to let it be; after all, _when the remarkable turns bizarre, reason turns rancid_, there was no point in trying to figure out why his natural ability of teletransportation went astray so badly that he wasn't only re-appearing somewhere far away but in entirely another world, so he chose to leave his cozy living quarters to visit the Mad hatter and the March hare, which were once more the best of friends despite their changed appearances. Yes, maybe by getting himself lost in the madness that was this world he would forget about the madness that was _her_ world, he would forget her amongst bad riddles, warm tea, a notorious lack of time and twisted physics , if only for a while… but he would walk there, mind you.

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Well, there it goes… more of a filler chapter and I feel it kinda short, but inspiration left me here, so here it shall end. I really hope you can aid me with the rating thing, I depend on that to write the next chapter…


	8. Chapter 8

Whew! Been a loooong time since the last update, but I'm afraid my brain kind of died for a while. Thanks a lot to KrysOfSorrow, Suki of ThE DEaD, Mable, Alister Rainbow, CheshireCatGrin3421 and nikkilittle for their reviews, they're all very appreciated and were what finally got me to move my ass and write some more. Thanks also to Queen Angel of Shadows, RedHeadReader, Valt DiAdon who put this on alert, perhaps on the hopes I'd someday update, and Deviant Obscenity who marked this as a favourite.

Now, since KoS was the only reader to comment about the story and she said lemon pie... here we go! I've never written a lime before, so be kind. Criticism allowed though.

Disclaimer: I solemnly swear I don't own Alice nor the Cheshire nor anything else. Sadly

LIME ALERT!!!! BE WARNED, THOSE UNWILLING TO READ (THOUGH THEN WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON AN M-RATED FIC?) SKIP TO THE NEXT .-.-.-.- LINE)

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CHAPTER VII:IT BEGINS

Darkness enveloped her, but it didn't bother Alice in the slightest. His lips found hers, a sweet contact, but she refused to leave it at that and picked up their pace, twisting her tongue around his and pouring all her hunger into the kiss. She was rewarded when his mouth abandoned hers in favor of the pale column of her neck, the open-mouthed kisses leaving her breathless as his warm mouth proceeded to her clavicle. Needless to say, he eventually ran out of skin to caress and began tugging lightly at her dress. Alice however, wasn't feeling up to waiting, so she discarded the bothersome outfit herself, her nimble fingers undoing the buttons in record time as she could have sworn she felt his smile even among the shadows.

Thin, long fingers skimmed over her sides, from her hips to her arms, raising goosebumps on her pale skin before cupping a round breast. The redhead sighed as his cool fingers caressed her and traced the dark outline of an areola several times before lightly pinching the nipple, he then lowered his head to blow on the sensitive skin, succesfully making the nipple pebble further. Driven by his touch, Alice raised her hands and, finding his head, tangled her fingers in his soft hair; she wanted to pull him closer, but didn't dare to. Her lover somehow seemed to sense her desires, for without any prompting he leaned in and took the abused breast to his mouth as she arched into his mouth, overtaken by the sensation of his warm mouth on such a delicate place. He seemed pleased by her brazen actions, for a hand splayed over the small of her back, holding her in place as he sucked the nipple in his posession.

Alice was lost, one hand was pinching and rolling her left nipple as his humid tongue worshipped the right, tracing it before giving several shameless licks and again taking it into the heaven of his mouth and pulling. Her lungs didn't seem to work properly, she was drowning, panting and yet unable to pull enough air into her starved system. He eventually left her chest, much to her disappointment, but his hands and tongue refused to let her be sad for long, so they busied themselves with tracing everything they could reach, no dip or rise of her body went unnoticed. His hands ran over her thin ribcage as his mouth traced a fiery line right down the middle of her flat belly and his tongue circled her bellybutton. Alice felt the temperature was wrong, it was entirely too hot for her taste and a liquid heat was pooling deep within her, settling somewhere in her lower abdomen and yet heating her whole body. Not that her companion's active hands and sinful tongue were helping any, for while his tongue took a dip into her bellybutton his hands migrated to her hips, kneading her round buttocks to draw a most curious mewling sound and settling over the bones on each side, as if unwilling to let her go.

She wanted something, she was sure of it... but what? Her body was demanding more, more of his attention, more of his heated touch, more of that tongue. She wanted him to slake her growing thirst. Using his hold on each side of her ample hips, he guided her body down on the matress, sitting himself between her legs in order to caress their whole lenght, from the petit foot, over her calf and knee to circle the thigh. His mouth followed his hands' example, placing an open mouthed kiss at the ankle, then licking the whole lengh of the calf and lightly suckling the underside of her knee to proceed with kisses all the way to the thigh. He repeated this on each leg before stopping to look at her. Alice was whimpering, and panting, her thick tresses fanned over the matress and forming a red halo around her head as green eyes half closed with her pleasure.

He licked the inside of her thigh and rested his head on it, placing him right in front of her core. Alice momentarily wondered what was he going to do, but then his tongue snaked out to touch her and all coherent though ceased

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Alice rose with a start, breathing heavily and feeling warmer than she was comfortable with. She was used to having terrible nightmares, filled with blood, screams, death, fire and ash, had even grown used to them over the long years, but she certainly didn't appreciate her subconscious' latest… creativity. After her "miraculous recovery" as it had been dubbed by the personnel at Rutledge's, the nurses had made it a personal challenge to teach her all she would need to learn about living alone, and being a woman. Having fallen into the coma at a young age and reawakening several years back, after months of struggle in Wonderland, Alice was way behind in several sorely needed subjects. The nurses had kindly taught her as much as they could, and it included cooking, cleaning… and men, so the young woman was better versed than most about what went on between couples. Perhaps learning from doctors, who by profession had lost all shame about the subject wasn't such a brilliant idea, she certainly could use a couple mislead taboos right now to cool her rampant mind.

Risking a glance to her window, the red-head became aware that it had barely been a couple of hours since she had fallen asleep with Cheshire by her side, typical of her dreams to not even have the decency of waking her at a reasonable hour. Knowing sleep would evade her now Alice gave a deep sigh and rose to take a bath. The idea of cold water was suddenly quite appealing despite it being rather early and breezy.

That morning, th female left her home to go shop some essentials again, yet she now managed without disasters and without panicking about the other people in the street and store with her. Riduculously happy with her success Alice went back home with a spring in her step, reveling in the sunligh on her face and the tranquil scenery of the neighbors' houses and well trimmed lawns.

So busy was the female in her enjoyment she found herself at her home's front step in no time at all, and as she opened the door she noticed, not for the first time, how bare her house looked. It was bad enough that it was meant for a family instead of a single woman, but when her lack of anything but the essential was taken into account it looked positively huge, not to mention unlived in. The size didn't bother her, but the lack of homeliness did. This meant she would have to go shopping again, but this time, she would get more furniture and some paintings or something to give her empty house the homely feel she still remembered from a time when life was so much simpler.

'Wonder what would Charles say if I told him to come with me?' The very thought of contacting him made the red head blush a rosy hue, but perhaps it wasn't such a bad idea… she didn't want another disaster like when she first left for groceries and, truth be told, she had no idea whatsoever of where to go hunting those desired items. So, with her mind set up, she went to find the letter he had sent her some time ago in order to get his address.

Finding the right materials to write the letter had taken some effort, but nothing compared to the stress of actually _writing_ it. She hadn't been sure of what to express, or how to write it since she didn't want to sound demanding or rude, but she wasn't a whiny female either. In the end she settled for a polite request of his help, though she was amazed, who would have thought that something so simple could take so long? That was more complex and taxing than killing those pesky piranha fish back in Wonderland!

Finally done with the call for help, Alice sat in her living to relax and ponder. She'd need more money than what she usually carried with her, and that meant a trip to the bank. For a moment she allowed a soft smile to grace her lips. When leaving Rutledges began seeming plausible with her speedy recovery she was thrilled, but also worried, how would she fend for herself? She couldn't even get a good work for not only was she a woman, but she had spent most of her puberty locked up and was rather behind on several subjects. The doctors and nurses, happy to finally see such a bright diagnosis on so sick a patient, took it upon themselves to figure out if something could be done. It had been their digging around that had found her parents' forgotten accounts and ensured her house was rebuilt and at least equipped with the essentials for her release. She was grateful for the personnels' help, but no matter how silly it seemed, she felt happy with the accounts not only for the obvious help they meant, but also because here, residing on their old home and living off their money made her feel as if her parents were somehow still looking out after her.

After so much blood, sweat, and tears, not only was she free, but she was almost rich, to the point where she wouldn't have to work a day in her life if she so wished it. Now if only her ghosts of the past would stop haunting her at night she could be truly at peace with her life. Truth be told, she liked still having the Cheshire by her side, but it was rather unsettling. She had been told Wonderland was a frigment of her childish imagination, and when her mind fragmented due to survivor's guilt and depression her broken psyque had both twisted the once happy place and made it seemingly real. Yet it was nothing more, a mere delusion brought on by her badly hurt mind.

There was where the problem came, if she was cured, how come she was still seeing the Cheshire Cat? Worse, what if they found out? Though free from Rutledge's walls, Alice would be checked periodically by a nurse in her new home to ensure she was still all right and fit to remain amongst society, living a normal life. They could never find out about her nightly visitor or she would be locked up again. That in itself was easy to hide as Cheshire himself pointed out when he first appeared, but what if she worsened, what if she lost her mind again? She had fallen into dementia suddenly, and after a long coma, had begun visiting Wonderland on a whim and getting better as she righted things there . Perhaps she could worsen again on another whim, progressively consumed by her delusions untill she again couldn't tell fantasy and reality from each other. For now she could only hope her luck held out and that her contact with Wonderland remained only as an extra cat at dusk, specially since the nurse's visit was getting progressively closer...


End file.
